A golden container and the hosts for Holy Communion inside it were stolen during an overnight break-in Tuesday at St. Rose of Lima Church in Carbondale.

Called the ciborium, it was the only thing taken.

The theft rendered the building desecrated under Catholicism, in which practitioners believe the hosts change into the body of Jesus Christ. On Wednesday afternoon, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera led a ritual ceremony and celebrated Mass to rededicate and bless St. Rose.

Monsignor David L. Tressler, the church's pastor, described the Catholic community as stunned and hurt. There is a "real sense of violation," and it is all the more disheartening because the thief targeted the hosts, which are at the heart of the religion's identity, he said.

There were certainly more valuable items. "Once they were in the church, they could've had a field day," Monsignor Tressler said.

The thief broke into the church through a window sometime late Tuesday or early Wednesday and then walked out the front doors, Monsignor Tressler said.

Further information from Carbondale police was unavailable.

The ciborium is a gold metallic cup with a lid, about 6 to 8 inches tall. It was taken from the locked tabernacle.

For security, the tabernacle's lock has been changed, and the church will now be closed immediately after the daily noon Mass, Monsignor Tressler said. Typically, the building closed at 2 p.m.

The community uses the church too frequently to limit access during the morning, Monsignor Tressler said.

"I don't want to punish all the people because of this one situation," he said.

During Bishop Bambera's ceremony to cleanse St. Rose, the altar was stripped bare and special prayers were said, according to a Diocese of Scranton statement about the theft. The bishop blessed the altar, tabernacle, walls of the church and the people with holy water.

In his homily, according to the diocese, Bishop Bambera expressed hope that whoever stole the ciborium would return it and seek forgiveness for the crime.

Contact the writer: jburton@timesshamrock.com

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.